Futureworld 3030: Chapter 12
Gareth meets with Franklin to tell him the plan. They argue about Franklin’s involvement and Franklin doesn’t trust Gareth. He talks to him about the struggles of the masses.
Tuesday March 22, 3030: Unirail Station 3
Gareth leaves Uniplex a little before midnight only to find a familiar face waiting for him by the Unirail station. It is Franklin. There is a side entrance that Gareth can take that is blocked off from the masses, but Gareth decides to walk Franklin’s way. Franklin is leaning against a guardrail on the stairs smoking a cigarette. When Gareth gets closer, Franklin smiles and puts out his cigarette.
“I can smoke here right?” Franklin asks Gareth sarcastically.
Gareth shakes his head and nods while smiling.
“Yea here it's fine. Just not inside the terrordome we are trying to take down ya know.”
“Sure.”
Gareth walks towards the stairs up to the unirail as Franklin steps right in front of him.
“So what’s the plan big man?” Franklin asks.
Gareth shakes his head.
“No plan. It’s off,” Gareth responds.
Franklin grabs Gareth by the shoulder.
“C’mon, we’re not just giving up like that. We were just getting started.”
“Yea and you nearly got us caught and killed. I’m not risking that again.”
Gareth attempts to walk up the stairs past Franklin, but Franklin steps in front of him. Gareth stares at Franklin.
“Really?”
Franklin’s eyes light up with a mix of anger and disappointment.
“I know I fucked up, but this is bigger than us. We can’t just let Unicorp keep killing our people day in and day out. We can change that.”
Gareth shakes his head.
“Easier said than done buddy,” Gareth replies.
Franklin takes out a crumpled picture from his jacket pocket. His clothes are dirty, ripped, and reek of urine. His hand is shaking as he shows Gareth the photo. It is of Franklin sitting on a bench smiling with a young girl perched on his lap.
“She would have been 11 this week,” Franklin says with a tremor in his voice.
Gareth looks at the photo and his eagerness to leave slowly dissipates.
“Was she your daughter?”
Franklin sniffles and wipes away tears from his eyes.
“She is. Always will be.”
Gareth pats Franklin on the shoulder.
“Goddamn drones came through and wiped out my neighborhood. I was away at the store when they came and when I came back it was too…”
Franklin breaks down and falls to his knees crying. Gareth helps pick him up. Gareth sympathizes with Franklin, yet is still reluctant to involve him in the plan. Franklin jeopardized the mission once and Gareth doesn’t want to risk it happening again. He looks at Franklin in the eyes and sees the despair of a man who has struggled to survive his whole life. The desperation is palpable. He pats Franklin on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry man. I can imagine how tough it was…”, Gareth says before Franklin interrupts him.
“What the fuck do you know about tough? You grew up a Uni and have lived a comfortable life. You don’t know shit.”
Gareth chuckles to himself and shakes his head.
“Believe what you wish. I never said I’ve had it as tough as you. That doesn’t mean life has been all peaches and cream though. I hate my job. I hate my life. I can’t live like this anymore.”
Gareth looks around at the disarray on the streets of Altera. People laid out on the street. Some are drunk. Some are dead. He looks back at Franklin, whose hands are shaking by his side. His eyes are bloodshot and he looks like he is on the verge of passing out. Gareth puts his arm around his shoulder.
“Look, I’m not going to give you all the details of how this is going to go down because I can’t risk anything else happening. We can meet in a few days and I’ll have a better idea of how we can go about this.”
Franklin nods and dips his head down as he wipes away tears. Gareth takes out a pill and money from his jacket pocket and hands it to Franklin.
“In the meantime, take this. It will keep you hydrated for a day or two. Use the money for some food. Booze isn't going to do you any good at this point,” Gareth tells him.
Gareth begins to walk up the stairs to the platform before Franklin calls out to him.
“Hey, just remember you need me too!”
Gareth turns back to Franklin.
“O yea, how’s that?”
“I’ve got an army. What do you have huh?”
Gareth nods and accepts the reality of Franklin’s statement.
“Touche. We’ll be in touch, Franklin. Be safe.”